Scientists have discovered that viruses infecting microbes significantly impact climate change by affecting methane cycling. This study, analyzing DNA from various environments, shows that the environmental impact of viruses varies by habitat. The research underscores the complex relationship between viruses, microbes, and methane emissions, suggesting the need for further exploration into viral roles in climate dynamics.
“It’s important to understand how microorganisms drive methane processes,” said Zhong, also a microbiologist whose research examines how microbes evolve in diverse environments. “Microbial contributions to methane metabolic processes have been studied for decades, but research into the viral field is still largely under-investigated and we want to learn more.
Though the vital role microbes play in accelerating atmospheric warming is now well-recognized, little is known about how methane metabolism-related genes encoded by the viruses that infect these microbes influence their methane production, said Zhong. Solving this mystery is what led Zhong and his colleagues to spend nearly a decade collecting and analyzing microbial and viral DNA samples from unique microbial reservoirs.
“These findings suggest that global impacts from viruses are underestimated, and deserve more attention,” said Zhong.